A12 shutdown diverts traffic, but major congestion not yet seen

Despite the complete closure of the A12 between Veenendaal and Utrecht, large-scale traffic chaos has not yet materialized, according to Dutch highway authority Rijkswaterstaat. Although traffic has been heavier on several detour routes since the shutdown began Friday evening, authorities say major delays have so far been limited, RTL reports.

The 30-kilometer stretch of the A12 heading toward Utrecht is closed to all traffic through Monday, May 19, at 5 a.m., to allow for extensive roadwork, including the installation of low-noise asphalt. Drivers are being diverted via two main alternative routes: one through the A30, A1, and A28, and the other via the A50, A15, A2, and A27.

Traffic jams were reported on both routes over the weekend and again on Monday morning. “So far, major congestion has not occurred. That’s a positive outcome at this point,” a spokesperson for Rijkswaterstaat said. “We are curious to see what the Monday evening rush will bring and how things develop tomorrow.”

Monday morning saw early slowdowns on the detours and on several local roads affected by increased through traffic. Traffic volume on the A15 in particular was heavy, with a 20-kilometer jam between Andelst and Wadenoijen, causing delays of more than 30 minutes. According to ANWB, road traffic on the diversion routes has been busier than usual, but not exceptionally crowded.

The highway closure has forced drivers from Veenendaal to Utrecht to factor in detours that add up to an hour of extra travel time. This is especially true for those taking the more obvious route via the A1, which is not known for light traffic.

The impact is especially significant for drivers heading from Arnhem toward Utrecht. The closure affects only the westbound stretch of the A12, meaning those traveling from the east toward the Randstad face inevitable bumper-to-bumper traffic. This is true even on the northern detour via the A30, A1, and A28.

With Tuesday and Thursday typically the busiest days of the week for road travel, the full extent of traffic disruption on the detour routes will depend largely on whether commuters continue to work from home or choose to travel outside peak hours, Rijkswaterstaat said.

The agency emphasized the urgency of the roadwork. “There’s a lot of necessary maintenance. Some of the asphalt sections are in really bad condition, and you don’t want a highway to suddenly close without warning. That would cause even bigger problems,” Niels van den Brink, traffic manager at Rijkswaterstaat, told RTL. He added that some parts of the project had already started earlier to spread out the workload.

Van den Brink also responded to RTL's questions about whether Rijkswaterstaat could have scheduled this work more efficiently. More nighttime and weekend work was considered, but that option was ultimately deemed impractical. “There simply aren’t enough weekends in the year to complete all the necessary work. There’s so much to do, and this approach is more efficient,” he told RTL.

As an example, Van den Brink explained that spreading out the A1 resurfacing project over weekends alone would require ten separate closures. “Each closure costs time, money, and energy,” he said.

Several other major highways are also undergoing maintenance in the same period. The A1 is closed between the Watergraafsmeer and Diemen interchanges from Friday, May 9 at 10 p.m. through Monday, May 26 at 5 a.m.

The A27 is closed between Everdingen and Lunetten from Friday, May 9 at 10 p.m. to Monday, May 12 at 5 a.m. The A58 will be closed between De Baars and Tilburg-Reeshof over multiple weekends: May 9–12, May 16–19, and June 13–16.

The A67 is closed between Leenderheide and Zaarderheiken on the same weekends. The A2 between Maarssen and Oudenrijn will be closed from May 16–19 and again from May 23–26.